


The Sky Belongs To Us

by lnrizkl



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Internalized Homophobia, Multi, Sakusa has OCD, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love, except not really, i'm sorry it's my way of coping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:07:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25533331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lnrizkl/pseuds/lnrizkl
Summary: In a world where Pokemon live, people need to adapt to its conditions and live by their side. Many try to learn the ties between them and humans. What could possibly happen if it doesn't go their way? Would two teams of enemies be able to fight together against all odds?Hinata is a simple Ranger apprentice, almost ready to graduate, but one day things turn out to not go his way and he feels his world being ruined by another apprentice and his own teachers.Kageyama is a prodigy Ranger apprentice and he doesn't know how he got there.orI let out my inner gay self as well as show my love for the Pkmn Ranger Saga + Haikyuu!![ Tags will get updated as I write ]
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

Days at the base were usually relatively calm, they went by just relaxing or helping the young scientists out with whatever they were investigating. But particularly, the day in question was awfully quiet.

Yamaguchi and Yachi were out along with their partners, Akaashi following close behind to protect them along with his Noctowl, leaving the base protection to the two mentors and their apprentices.

Kuroo and Tsukishima were more laid back, attended anyone who needed it, took care of their partners and trained.

Elsewhere in the base however, Bokuto and Hinata were the exact opposite of the other two rangers. They were shouting and running around, the younger of the pair often complaining about being taught almost all day with little to no breaks while they enjoyed themselves.

Eventually, they got tired, not knowing what to do anymore and sighing dramatically while they tried to call the other's attention, having no reaction from Tsukishima and only being made fun of by Kuroo.

"No fair!" Bokuto ended up shouting, like a child about to throw a tantrum. "We only get to go out when someone needs us, but never when we wanna go out! Meanwhile, everyone else gets to go out almost everyday!"

Hinata paused, listening to his mentor speak his mind, nodding enthusiastically in agreement when he finished.

"We should be able to go out when we want to! We are justice! We are the law! Right Bokuto?!"

Decidueye hooted from Bokuto's side, flapping its wings excitedly and looking at the other pair.

Kuroo sighed and finally gave in, groaning tiredly, "Fine, you two go out, Tsukishima and I will stay here and watch the base. Don't go too far away, you two better behave. I know you two can be… a bit too extra." Tsukishima opened his mouth, ready to protest or share one of his infamous sarcastic comments, yet his mentor shushed him quickly as the other rangers ran out of the base. "They'll be fine, at least I hope so. If not, I’m sending you after them."

The words alone were enough to make Tsukishima tsk under his breath and walk away.

Meanwhile, Bokuto and Hinata were already in the forest next to the base.

"Kuroo has been… Especially grumpy lately!" Bokuto shouted even though Hinata wasn’t too far away from him. "Kenma has been out of town for a few weeks and Kuroo is super pissed about it."

Hinata giggled, the Pikachu on his shoulder smiling widely by his side when a loud noise made their smiles drop and drag their attention elsewhere.

Both ran towards the source of the noise, finding a Corviknight who was in the middle of fighting a Gigalith. From what it seemed, the Corviknight didn’t know where it was nor why they were here, making it panic and attack without control.

Bokuto was already whipping out his device until Hinata pointed at the figure laying on the ground. It was a tall black haired boy, laying behind the Corviknight and badly damaged.

Before the duo even acknowledged it, they were already running back to base with the injured male, the bird pokemon following close behind and almost attacking them if it wasn't for the Pikachu that tried to calm him down. They harshly opened the door startling Kuroo and Tsukishima, and only screamed for help while they dragged the body to the nursery room.

It was a matter of time before Kuroo and Tsukishima came back along with Akaashi, Yachi and Yamaguchi. Once there, they told what happened.

"So. You found him like this, right Bokuto?"

The man eagerly nodded to Akaashi's question, looking at the scientists doing their job and checking the boy.

"The Corviknight outside was defending him. Maybe it was his Pokemon!" Hinata added, making Tsukishima groan from how loud he was. "We didn't find any pokeballs nearby though. Nothing that can tell us what happened for him to pass out."

"Guys?" Yamaguchi called while patting a panicked Yachi. "I think you need to see this."

The group of five soon approached the bed, finding Yachi holding a device that looked way too similar to what they were used to. It was a capture device, just like the ones they used, except that its design was more complex. The red from the ones they had was substituted by a blue, and the cyan touches were instead a magenta color.

Bokuto shrieked, calling everyone's attention and making the scientist shush him, not wanting to wake the person laying down on the bed, just to fail and making Yachi panic even more and run out of the room, Yamaguchi following behind.

The raven boy got up quickly, anxious and scared about where he was, only to hold his head and groan in pain. The headache was killing him, but he had to go back. He needed to make sure he dealt with the damned problem. He had to-

"Well, Hinata you found him right?" The apprentice hummed at the question Tsukishima asked. "Then, if Kuroo and your mentor are fine with it, you should deal with it."

Kuroo gave his apprentice a light hit with his elbow, only getting a chuckle from him.

"But he's right." The boy in bed commented, looking away. "It's almost summer. More and more people are taking vacations and going in places they shouldn't go in, making Pokemon panic and turn aggressive."

Everyone went quiet after that, only to gain stares from the rangers and making them talk between them. After a while, everyone but Hinata left the nursery, giving him luck on a 'mission' they seemed to have assigned him, getting a "You won't be disappointed!" as a response.

"So!" The ginger started, clapping his hands together and dragging a chair next to the bed. "What's your name?"

"Kageyama Tobio."

"Kageyama! That's a nice name. What were you doing before passing out?"

"What is  _ your _ name?"

The red ranger gulped down. Technically, he was asking the raven haired boy, not expecting to get a question for himself.

"Well, uh- I'm Hinata Shoyo! I'm currently a ranger apprentice." He scratched the back of his head, letting the soft curls of his hair relax him. "Now, what were you doing? Your device is just like mine, so you must be an apprentice. Where is your mentor?"

"I was doing what you would do. Practicing." Kageyama answered coldly, staring at him. "My mentor says I'm already good enough and has nothing to teach me, so we often go out but go on different routes."

Hinata stopped for a second, looking away and thinking.

"An apprentice without a mentor to follow? That's new."

"I don't think he likes me."

"How so?" The ginger asked. "Did he tell you?"

"No. He didn't tell me."

The red ranger nodded. "Understandab-"

"I don't need him anyways. I can do it on my own."

If he wasn't surprised enough by now, this was definitely the last drop before the storm.

Whoever this guy was- Bakageyama or whatever, just kept getting him on his nerves. First, he only questions him, and then he acts all coldly and even pretends he didn't train? Was he serious?

He groaned without noticing, and then realized how Kageyama just yawned and turned around, presumably falling asleep almost instantly.

Couldn't blame the guy,most his clothes were ripped and dirtied, presumably from a Pokemon that attacked him. He looked like royal shit, and would probably get a bath once he woke up again. Probably get new clothes.

And probably, Hinata would have to take care of him.

"Oh dear Arceus. What have I done to you?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is somewhat where the AU drifts from the original Pokemon Ranger games! (･｀ｪ´･)つ  
> The mechanics will be explained possibly in the next chapter, or I will write the mechanics in the notes to prevent confusion! I just needed an excuse to make something up and also have different teams that probably are somewhat alike to enemies-  
> Hope you enjoy it!

Yachi gave him basic instructions- When he wakes up, give him medicine for his wounds. Get him to take a shower or bath -and be with him if he needs you, she said slightly flustered, it's nothing you have never seen- then to take him to get new clothes and then maybe some food.

"It should be easy." Yamaguchi smiled, intertwining his hand with Tsukishima's, whose arm was around his shoulders. "After that you should keep an eye on him and then ask him some questions if you want that too."

It should be easy, but nobody expected the boy to get up with a groan and demand to see his Corviknight.

The morning started that way, Hinata telling the raven boy to go bathe, then being yelled at for trying to stay; trying to get the other boy some new clothes only to be told he would rather have his old ones fixed. A little while later, Kageyama had positioned himself a little farther away and talked to his Pokemon partner while Hinata was under a tree trying his best to sew the ranger uniform the tall male wore. Again it was just like him but blue, it made him overthink and made the questions he planned on asking Bokuto and Kuroo about, but remembered that he had to give the clothes back.

He yelped in pain as he accidentally pricked his finger again. He wasn't exactly someone that was super into sewing things, tending to getting his uniforms fixed by others or simply putting patches over the holes.

"Are you alright?"

Hinata looked up, staring at the person who asked. Kageyama was only in his pants -the only thing that managed to survive without being horribly ripped apart- and the ginger cursed under his breath, annoyed by how well genetics had treated the taller boy despite himself being older by months

"Yes. Thank you." He groaned, looking away from him. "Can't you patch it yourself?"

The raven boy moved away towards the base, entering the base swiftly, The apprentice followed behind, only to enter and be teased by Tsukishima.

"What a king! Bet he has a large following, at least bigger than you." The blonde snickered to himself.

Hinata knew that if Yamaguchi was here, he would yell "Tsukki!" and then apologize for him. But he wasn't there, and the ginger was too fed up with the world to even care to answer, only making sure that Kageyama was in his field of vision.

It was barely the afternoon and he already wanted to go back to sleep. He was being treated as a butler, but he was a ranger, wasn't he? That question repeated itself in his head over and over as if stuck on repeat.

When nighttime finally arrived, Kageyama went to the bed next to his while Hinata just let his body plop onto the bed, almost bouncing off it.

"You could have fallen." The raven commented gruffly from the side, the comment grinding on Hinata's nerves once again.

"Do you even have friends? Is someone even looking for you?" He groaned down into his soft pillow.

"Yeah. I suppose."

Silence fell upon them as they changed into more comfortable clothes to sleep, time seemingly coming to a stop and letting the tiredness finally hit against the ginger’s body and making him yawn and stretch. Soon after, they both got in bed, facing away from each other. 

"Good night, Hinata."

"Yeah, night."

By the time the sun came up, Kageyama had already woken, walking from place to place and moving things around which eventually made Hinata wake up, telling him to be quiet and to quit making noise before he woke someone else up, only to be ignored. Hinata sighed and finally got up, he went to wash his face and get his uniform. By the time he was back, the raven was also already in his uniform, a hand on his head.

"Does it hurt?"

The blue ranger got startled by this, taking his hand off and putting in one of his pockets, expression still twisted slightly in pain.

"You should rest if it hurts." Hinata sighed, dealing with Kageyama seemed a task that could compete against taking care of a kid misbehaving. This was what he usually told his little sister was being stubborn, or what his mother told him whenever he was sick and refused to listen. A gentle sense of nostalgia washed over, making his body relax and muscles letting out the tension they held, he however couldn’t help sighing softly again. "You should, really. It will be worse."

The ginger gently put a hand on the fellow apprentice's back, receiving an annoyed huff but willingness in being guided back to bed, where he laid back while the other searched for medicine to give him.

Once the raven had taken some medication for his head he laid back more comfortably, staring at the smaller male.

"I'm not going anywhere. I was assigned you as a task and I won’t disappoint."

"You seem like a pretty disappointing Ranger already." Kageyama huffed out. "To be assigned to take care of another apprentice."

"The hells that supposed to mean?"

Deep down, Hinata knew he was right. He was nowhere as strong as Bokuto, nor was he a defense fanatic like Kuroo or Tsukishima, nor was he someone smart who could rely on science for help. He knew he was a pretty lame ranger, but he swallowed thickly and prevented the accidental outburst of his feelings. He should focus on the task at hand, which was taking care of whoever he thought he was. It didn’t matter how hard or easy it was, it’s still something he got assigned to do.

He reminded himself of the words the blonde said the day before, how he called him king, then implied having a large following and had laughed. The ginger shook his head trying to push those thoughts away and, instead he looked at the other in bed. If he wasn't going to do anything, might as well ask for more information.

"Do you remember anything before you passed out?" He realized Kageyama's eyes weren't open, yet he waited for an answer in silence. After a while, he finally gave up, assuming the raven had fallen asleep, only to be surprised when he actually answered.

"I was flying with Corviknight when something attacked us."

"Something or someone? Do you remember what it looked like?"

Maybe asking him while he was injured wasn't the best idea, but with how he looked and seemed to answer, he knew that if he didn't the chances of getting an answer would be surprisingly low.

The raven had a pained expression, trying to remember but failing due to his headache. The ginger chuckled and put a hand on his arm, trying to distract him from the pain.

"Damn alright, it's fine. No need to answer now." He warmly smiled at Kageyama. "Do you think anyone is searching for you? Where are you from?"

"I'm an apprentice of the Burukou base."

After spending some time chatting with Kageyama, Hinata finally exited his room after the tall boy fell asleep, going to have some breakfast while the rest of the base was already tidying up and leaving their room. As soon as Hinata spotted Bokuto and Kuroo, he immediately sprinted towards them, both of which had been chatting about the base despite Bokuto's poor attention span.

"Bokuto! Kuroo!" The ginger almost yelled, startling the two adults but making the one with messier hair humm in acknowledge his presence . "Are there any other Ranger teams?"

Bokuto was ready to answer with a no when he saw Kuroo deep in thought.

"Actually, it's possible." He waved his hand, signalling to his apprentice to go away as he noticed how that had even snagged the curiosity of Tsukishima. "I think Kenma told me about some once, sometimes he sells and trades with other bases and teams."

Bokuto and his ginger apprentice nodded, letting him continue as they were getting more and more interested in it.

"Back when I was studying," -back when I was young… Kuroo had once said, making everyone in the base burst out laughing, including Tsukishima.- "I got told that there were 2 different classes of Rangers. Friendship ones, the ones that we are, and Control ones."

The other two rangers were certainly lost in this, giving the tallest of them confused looks.

"No, if I remember correctly… Us, the Friendship Rangers base our relationship with Pokemon via capturing and assuring the Pokemon we are friendly and that we won't do them harm." He continued, shrugging. "Meanwhile, Control Rangers are different. Don't know how though, probably best to ask Kageyama or Kenma about it."

Hinata thanked him and ran off after a quick breakfast, replaying the words on his head. Kageyama said how he came from a base, or at least something or somewhere called Burukou. Now, where was that? If he was an apprentice, they’d probably be searching for him.

He ran into the little laboratory the base had, scaring Yachi and getting an annoyed glare from Akaashi.

Akaashi was a ranger he admired, too. He was smart and usually kept communication flowing between the base they lived in and other bases, including the main base. He and his Noctowl were always aware of what was happening and their surroundings, making the duo an important part of the base.

"Good morning, Hinata."

"Akaashi, do you know if there are other bases nearby?" Hinata asked excitedly.

"Of course." Akaashi nodded, a slight smile on his face. "There are many, including the main base. Are you planning on going on a trip? Remember, you need to tell Bokuto-"

"Is there any base called Bukurou?"

Whatever it was, it made Akaashi's smile instantly fall, his face going completely pale while his expression seemed to not give clues at all of what was going through his mind, making Yachi yelp and get behind Hinata in fear.

"Yes." He finally answered in a grim voice. Akaashi let out a deep breath after keeping it in for what seemed like an eternity. "I got sent a job request from there when I graduated."

Hinata had to admit, out of everyone in the base, Akaashi was the scariest, and therefore, the coolest. His reaction timing was always faster than anyone else’s, and he was usually the one to put up with the other graduated Rangers' crazy ideas, always trying to avoid making the entire base blow up.

"Could you ever take us there?" Hinata asked, excitement filling his eyes and voice while Yachi tugged at his sleeve. He knew how much Yachi worried about him, they grew up together and eventually dated for a bit during their early teens, only to realize how hard love was and drop it. Not to say, they weren't what eachother looked for, only having dated due to everyone thinking they would be good together.

But the ginger snapped back to reality when Akaashi shook his head. Right, they were talking about the base, can't get distracted with the past now. 

"That base is way too far away from here." The Noctowl owner replied. "It would take days for us to get there, even if we go as fast as we can it will still take a whole day."

The smaller apprentice sighed. No use in trying to get there alone now, meaning Kageyama would have to wait to be alright to go back to his base and to his mentor. In part, he felt bad for not being able, but he also felt excited at the potential friend he could get if the raven wasn't so cold and distant. They would share bedrooms, they would go on Ranger missions together, they would-

Hinata snapped out of it when Yachi asked something. He took a moment to realize and process the question, soon running off when he realized she asked about Kageyama and he had left him alone.

"Yachi."

The blonde scientist looked at the ranger. Akaashi seemed way more serious now, a blank stare on his face as he called her.

"Please keep an eye on them. You know about it now, do you?"

\---

Yamaguchi was under a tree by the time Tsukishima came back from training, his Shaymin jumping and throwing itself at the tall blonde who simply hugged it.

"You look tired." Tsukishima simply said upon seeing his childhood friend.

Yes, he was admittedly tired, even he had to admit it. But lately, the laboratory was so busy, day in and out, sometimes not even leaving Yamaguchi the time to sleep. Sometimes, he would try to sleep just to find himself questioning everything in his head over and over and having to go for a walk, often finding Tsukishima and his Umbreon in the process.

It wasn't a new thing, everyone knew the tall blonde often dealt with insomnia, making him walk around with his Umbreon at unholy hours in the morning, often laying down by his Pokemon under the moonlight,and not that Yamaguchi would ever admit it but Tsukishima was pale, the moonlight only making him paler and his hair an even more beautiful color than what it already was, making him seem almost untouchable, and perfect. He had to admit that he had the biggest crush on his childhood friend, but could never say it out loud to Tsukishima.

The blonde snapped his fingers, calling Yamaguchi’s attention and making the green haired boy leave his stupid gay thoughts.

"You should sleep, y'know. At least a small nap." He spoke, a gentle but slightly concerned look on his face. It wasn't usual for him to act like this, only being like this when they were alone, with no one else to witness. "If you really  _ really _ need it, I could give you something that might make you fall asleep."

"I'm fine Tsukki, sorry for worrying you." Yamaguchi replied, he was fine and he felt sorry for worrying the other, but deep down he knew things weren't fine. He knew what was going on, he knew how dangerous and worrying Kageyama's appearance was, Akaashi himself told him everything he knew.

But he couldn't tell them. Not yet, they didn't know enough about it to tell anyone just yet. He would have to wait, and he would have to spend more nights laying awake until the sun comes out. Deep down he knew that nothing was fine, but nobody was ready just yet.

"We should go inside, get you some water too, after all you just finished training for today, right? A bit of food wouldn't harm you bad to you."

Tsukishima nodded. Yamaguchi was aware that the blonde knew that there was something worrying him, yet that he wouldn’t question it if he wasn’t ready. He knew he would wait until the scientist was ready to talk, and maybe he would speak up about his feelings for the tall boy, even if it meant getting rejected for them.

In general, it wasn't the right time for any of this. Not now. And they would keep the secret from the laboratory safe and sound from the Rangers until it was time to say what was going on.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beware of OCD/Repetitive thoughts as well as internalized homophobia/transphobia in this one!  
> I'm sorry, things will be explained (eventually).

"We need to find him. Now."

A tall figure walked from side to side, being observed by a short man in a scientist robe. The scientist looked unimpressed as if he was used to it, and simply sighed while getting up and grabbing the other person present by the arm.

"Oikawa, you've hurt your knee trying to save him. You should rest." Oikawa pulled their arm away and huffed, stepping out of the room and leaving the other by himself.

The scientist was none other than Iwaizumi Hajime, a young prodigy that was taken by Rangers falling under the Control category almost after being born, where he met Oikawa Tooru and Ushijima Wakatoshi. Since then, he has worked for them and usually watched over the team.

It was no news that Oikawa had the worst relationship possible with his apprentice, often leaving him alone and abandoning because he knew he could do it by himself, but in the end, Iwaizumi knew he did it to protect the team.  
Foolish decisions were made by the Ranger, and even though they were often scolded by Ushijima and him, Oikawa seemed to not care much, and deep down Iwaizumi would admit that he was jealous of their bravery and open identity.

But that was not what was important at the moment. The topic in hand is that Kageyama Tobio, Oikawa's apprentice and prodigy of the base, went missing after an attack by something unknown. In the process of that, his mentor had been also damaged though less badly and was easy to find. Meanwhile, the raven was completely missing- Hoshiumi hasn't heard of him, they're having trouble contacting the main base and everything feels useless.  
Not too long ago they had called Sakusa Kiyoomi, one of the best Rangers in the main base, asking for anything strange or a sign of the corvid pokemon. Sadly, there was nothing, almost as if he had disappeared from the Earth and was the end of him. He thanked him and Sakusa had said he would ask some of his "acquaintances" -which were mentioned by him, but nobody truly knew who they were, leaving room to numerous speculations-

All of that aside, Oikawa has been acting weirdly after the attack. His knee has started hurting more, his body aches and begs for relief, headaches and fevers happening too frequently for comfort. Luckily, it seems they are not too worrying, meds helping him.  
Nothing seemed to be able to be placed together, symptoms often being too distinct from each other to be able to diagnose as a sickness, yet it was worrying as time passed and he didn't seem to recover.

Iwaizumi knew he would have to talk to other bases other than the main one and his own, or he would have to suffer from a very whiny Oikawa pretending he didn't care for the young apprentice at all while searching him everywhere he could.  
It was getting unhealthy, and he should stop this foolery already. All scientists knew already, didn't they?

_Wake up at 7 am. Stretch until it's 7:30, then take a shower. Wash every part of your body nicely and make sure you dry completely, don't catch a cold. Style your hair and eat some breakfast when you are awake. If it's not 8:15 am yet, make up some time training. When it's time, meet Komori and talk about Ranger issues until 9 am. At 9 am call all the Rangers in the base and give them a speech, later letting them train freely. Train your apprentice by 10 am and go visit a smaller base. Not one minute more, not one minute less._

Sakusa's mind was racing with words and plans by the time he woke up. It was 6:55 am when he gets out of bed, stretching and starting his routine. He stretched his body once, twice, thrice before he was satisfied, stretching two times more just in case. Everything else went according to his plan (shower at 7:30 am, wash your hair at least two times and get out, then cut your nails twice so they are even).

The raven had to admit, his routine was something rather time-consuming, weirdly planned in many ways for his comfort. If he didn't do anything, something would happen as he gets reminded of the past.  
Komori, his cousin, helps him through it. Eases his anxiety to try and make him less strict about his rituals and, sometimes, he succeeds and celebrates it. Yet it isn't the same since it happened. It all turned worse for him, so Sakusa has no mercy when it comes to his plans. He needs them, or so he tells himself as everyone else disagrees.

After the speech, he calls for his apprentice, turning out to be sick. He doesn't get too close and calls the brunette, who comes with a mask while smiling and offers it to him. He puts the mask on and checks his phone.  
Right, he got a message from Iwaizumi, symptoms being too similar to a fake illusion made by his brain to comfort. He promised to help, but wouldn't do anything.

("Kiyoomi that's rude!" his cousin exclaimed, clearly disagreeing with Sakusa's actions. "They might have real trouble! They might need our help!"  
"I don't care." The raven replied, pissed at his own family for the persistence and left the room without any more words, making Komori growl behind him.)

Sakusa was warming up, he decided to go to a base he didn't exactly enjoy going to. It wasn't a matter of favorites or likings. He just seemed to dislike how everyone but Akaashi and the scientists loved to be loud and obnoxious. There was an exception though. The name- Tsukishima Kei, right? He remembers his older brother dropping when he was still a junior apprentice yet never seemed to understand why. The younger brother, Kei, was quiet and nice to be around yet it pissed him off how he would remark everything he did with a sarcastic tone.

The base was hell on Earth.

"Glad to see you again, Sakusa."

The raven didn't realize when he got there, Komori chatting with Kuroo, the leader of the base, and his apprentice.

"Akaashi. Can say the feeling is mutual." He slightly smiled under his mask when he noticed something. Bokuto and Kuroo were there, but Bokuto's annoying apprentice wasn't there. "Did the kid leave? Drop out? I knew small ones like him don't stand a chance when it comes to-"

Akaashi chuckled, moving his head from side to side as a way to say no to Sakusa's sudden rant.

"I think it's- You know."

"I know?"

Akaashi nodded and Sakusa understood. Right. But impossible. What did all of this mean? It made no sense.

"Can I see whatever is going on here?" The taller raven asked. If he wasn't frowning already, by that point he was, anxiety settling on his body due to the sudden break of his plans. His perfect schedule was ruined for the day. Might as well want to cease to exist if a Ranger gave him the flu. "It can't be. At best, just a bit of sickness."

The Noctowl on the other Ranger's shoulder hooted, flying away towards the room, Sakusa following close behind the owl pokemon.

_Pay attention to your steps. don't step on a crack. If you do, start again. Maintain your back straight, look at the owl as well as the ground. Breathe in and out, every inhales and exhales lasting at least 5 seconds to calm yourself down. Your jacket had too many wrinkles. Are there any irons around? You need to iron that out, but make sure you don't stay too long. Be back at your base at 10 pm even though it already is too late. Don't freak out-_

He arrived to the room, opening it to find a tall raven lying in bed, showing how uncomfortable he looked by how his body was stiff and his face all scrunched up. By his side, the small ginger was laying on the back of the chair as if it was the best bed he had, mouth opened and loud snores coming from it. Sakusa needed to shut that mouth. It was gross and his breathing was unstable. He needed to-

 _Tug at your jacket. you shouldn't. but you need to. Tugging at it feels nice. Don't look at how red the boy in bed looks. Don't get too close or you'll be sick. Tug at your jacket once again. Once more_.

The ginger woke up at Sakusa's ragged breathing, stretching and rubbing his eyes before becoming fully aware of the presence of the higher rank Ranger. Once realizing who he was, he jumped from the chair he was sleeping on and bowed.

"Omi-san- I mean, Sakusa! It's nice to see you here! Sorry for the inconvenience!" Hinata's body became as rigid as a rock when he stopped bowing, looking at the raven nervously. "I'm sorr-"

"It's fine. Don't worry."

The apprentice sighed, looking at the tall male in bed.

"I barely get any sleep lately." He admitted, looking down while playing with his fingers. "He gets headaches, fevers, sometimes he barely eats and I have to force food down his throat."

"It's not the flu." Hinata nodded at Sakusa.

"Not the flu, but then what is it?"

The raven chuckled behind his mask. It's wasn't flu or a simple cold, he was fully aware of it. A curse, a side-effect of the past he feared. It had been years, years of denial and hurt to forget what happened back then yet, deep down, the experience was unforgivable.

He was young. Not caring that much about what happened and eager to learn every little secret the Rangers had. Wanting to make his mentor's dreams come true, he would sacrifice it all if it meant success.  
That was it until he fell in love. Until he realized that life wasn't only that. But when his lovers disappeared, everything crumbled down.

His chest felt tight as he started hyperventilating, only being aware of his surroundings when the apprentice's hand was on his arm.

"Even if you are the highest rank Ranger I'll probably ever meet-" he smiled at Sakusa, slightly comforting him, "I think you deserve a break and to talk about your problems, too."

Hinata guided him to the chair, going out of the room after it, searching for something to drink while Sakusa observed Kageyama curiously.  
By the time he came back, the Ranger was already in a better mood, laying back with steady breathing.

"Kageyama Tobio," Sakusa commented, looking at the ginger from the side. "That's his name. Same age as you, probably a few months younger, from the base Bukurou."

The apprentice stared, mouth open enough to get a fly inside before suddenly closing it and almost dropping the glass of water he held on his right hand.

"Right- Yes. That's him?" He gave the glass to the Ranger, checking Kageyama's temperature. It seemed to have gone down, meaning he would get up after an hour or two. "How do you know though?"

Sakusa took off his mask, finally breathing freely without something to annoy him. He preferred to keep it on, but Hinata was quieter than usual. He was a good kid, yet the raven never seemed to understand him.

"Iwaizumi, the scientist from the Bukurou base, contacted me saying that Oikawa lost his apprentice. Kageyama Tobio was his name."

"Why is he like this? Why is he… Suffering?" Hinata asked. "I don't understand."

"I don't know." But you do know, Sakusa reminded himself. "I would need to talk to Komori." You don't need to. Why are you in denial?

They spent the time chatting before Kageyama woke up, sleepy eyes pleading at Hinata while his whole body sweated. The ginger excused himself as he went to get food for the one in bed, asking him to leave the room. Sakusa nodded and left, looking for Komori.  
He found his cousin chatting with Akaashi, chatting about the place he disliked so much. His stomach turned and he felt dizzy, a sense of unwanted nostalgia accompanied by warm, fuzzy feelings filling his body. The raven hated it. He only called the brunette's attention to leave and go back to the main base once again.

"Hinata."

Kageyama whined when the ginger finished changing clothes. He put on some comfortable clothes to maybe try and sleep today, knowing he probably wouldn't as he would help the raven through fevers and headaches.  
He looked at the mirror, sighing as he looked at his reflection. It didn't feel right, nothing did. Sometimes he told himself over and over that this wasn't meant for him. He wasn't meant for a Ranger no matter what Yachi said.

"Hinata! Dumbass!"

Right. The older apprentice snapped out of it, looking at the younger one. He got up from the bed and stood by his side.

"Get into bed Bakageyama!" The smaller one pushed him, tucking him back into bed. "You scared me!"

"I don't understand. Why? Why you have that?"

Once he was back in bed, Hinata sighed again, this time accompanied by a groan while he ran his hands through his hair and scratched his neck. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he lightly chuckled under his breath. He knew he was wrong, his body was wrong, his identity was wrong. It's something he understood since he was a child, yet was in complete denial for years. He just wants to be happy for once, but life seemed to get in his way in many more ways he would like to admit.

"You don't need to understand." The ginger gently rested his head on his hands. "Just accept it. Accept me, alright? It's all I ask. I'm already trying my best."

Kageyama nodded. He never understood these issues, being taught it was "wrong", a Ranger should never let his feelings in their way, that's how it was always meant to be. Be the one that was best, just like Sakusa and many others did.  
But spending the time at this base made it different. Everyone is their best, feelings or not, whatever they want to be makes them happy and helps them be their own person, Hinata showed him how it was in the little time he was there.

"It's wrong. It is all wrong." He laid down facing Hinata, looking almost ashamed.

"Is it? Do you think that way?" Hinata got into his bed, facing away. "What you've been taught? Everyone is different. Some boys like boys, some girls like girls. Some boys aren't born that way, some girls neither."

Kageyama opened his mouth, yet thought his words over again.

"Can we drop this? I'm tired."

The raven nodded, guilt pooling in his gut. He didn't understand, but maybe he should. Or at least, try.

When he was a child, his parents and everyone else that wanted to be a Ranger seemed to be ashamed of him. Actions, words, likings, everyone was on the opposite side of him. Boys shouldn't wear dresses or makeup and should be rough with girls. Only girls.  
He remembers when he got to try his sister's makeup one time which ended in her seeing him. And for once, he got told it was ok. Wearing makeup was fine, yet he pleaded for it to be kept a secret.

Kageyama realized his fever was going up again, headache becoming stronger and body becoming stiff and unmovable. He then looked at the other bed, whining before falling asleep, waking Hinata in the process and making him watch out while being about to faint. He wishes he could get a break, but he doesn't know what to do.


End file.
